TOKYO, Oct. 10(Xinhuanet)-- The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency(JAEA) successfully put in flight a small experimental supersonic aircraft in a rocket-aided launch in southern Australiaon Monday, Kyodo News reported.

The aircraft, 11.5 meters long and 4.7 meters wide, was launched on a rocket shortly after 7 a.m. local time(around 2130 GMT) at the Woomera Test Range in the state of South Australia andreached a speed double that of sound during a 15-minute flight.

According to the JAEA, the aircraft was released at an altitudeof 20 kilometers and then glided in the air for 15 minutes, 22 seconds at speeds of between Mach 1.9 and 2, the agency said.

The agency said it was also able to collect telemetry data fromabout 500 sensors attached on the aircraft that tracks surface friction and other flight data.

The experiment follows the failure of the agency's inaugural test for developing supersonic passenger planes carried out in July 2002, when the experimental aircraft fell off the rocket shortly after launch.

Since the first test, Japan put its research and development for supersonic aircraft on hold and the government has not allocated a budget for the next development stage that would involve building an experimental aircraft powered by jet engines. Enditem